Two College Students Spill the Details on What Voting in the Iowa Caucus Is Really Like

"It's basically a reality show."

If you didn’t grow up in Iowa, you may not know that the Iowa Caucuses, which were held last night, are a really big deal. Basically, it’s a convoluted mix of secret ballots, public speeches, team huddling, and occasionally, chanting. After all is said, done, and tallied, America is one step closer to knowing who their next President will be. Every election cycle, the nation watches as Iowa decides who will continue on the road to the White House as Iowa is the first state to host the hype. As a result, our caucuses are historically known for causing political shake-ups that make or break candidates in the general election — we’re looking at you, President Obama. Last night was no exception as Senator Ted Cruz of Texas surprisingly beat Donald Trump on the Republican side, and Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders almost tied for the Democrats — with Clinton squeaking out a slim win that was only announced the next day.

“Iowa is a test of your ability to build organization and get support,” David Redlawsk, a professor of political science at Rutgers University, explained to Teen Vogue. “Yes, sometimes Iowa manages to identify the winners, but even when it doesn’t, the more important role is identifying those who are not going to run strong campaigns in the long run.”

Basically, it’s complicated. But why is caucusing so important to Iowans? We asked Iowa Democratic Party chair Dr. Andy McGuire how she explained the caucuses to her daughters. “What I always tell them, and what I still tell them, is this is your opportunity to have your voice heard in a very wonderful way. So, you get to think about what’s important to you — what do you want the world to be like in 10 years? And then you get to look at these people that are up for president of the United States and decide which one of them has really got the vision that goes the same place you want the world to go. And that’s an amazing and incredible opportunity we have in Iowa.”

What do we want our world to be like in the next 10 years? As two students at Drake University, we have some preferences, and asked some of our fellow classmates about theirs too.

Linley Sanders: When it comes to politics, I looked heavily at environmental policy, equality, climate change, and foreign affairs. I’ve voted for candidates on both sides of the aisle, but much like my millennial peers, I caucused for Sanders because I’m excited by the idea of a political revolution that highlights long-overdue equality.

Molly Longman: Tonight I went into the caucuses dead-set on impulse ordering, like when you’re at a restaurant and you can’t decide what you want. I was leaning toward Clinton because of her great experience, but Sanders just had so much exuberance. Social issues like equality for women and members of the LGBTQ communities are high on the list of things I deeply care about, along with foreign policy and climate change.

LS: The caucus gatherings are held at everyday establishments — schools, churches, and even barns. And much like today’s political parties, the Republican and Democratic caucuses are nothing alike. For the Dems, votes are cast publicly. They engage in what’s been compared to a rowdy, reality TV show, where people stand in groups based on who they're supporting. If a candidate doesn’t gain at least 15 % of the votes, the minimum needed to be considered a viable choice, their supporters must go to their second choice. In between this all is a lot of cheering and yelling as voters try to sway one another to their side. It's basically a rambunctious reality show.

ML: But if the Democrats are Keeping Up With the Kardashians, the Republicans are more like a PBS special. The process is cleaner, and decisions are made privately. Zoë Ekonomou is a 20-year-old college student who told us about her experience caucusing for Jeb Bush. She and 220 other republicans piled into a classroom built for 20. They heard from their party, wrote their chosen candidate’s name on a piece of paper, and then waited for the pile of names to be counted. Zoë described the political atmosphere as vibrant, truly enlivened. “Everyone was really excited to be there to see everyone,” she said of the camaraderie radiating in the tiny room. “I think that even though we weren’t all voting for the same person, everyone was just kind of proud of each other.”

LS: On the other hand, to begin the Democratic caucus, our precinct leader stood on top of an elementary school cafeteria table, addressing the 316 Iowans crammed into the small space. While our first-in-the-nation status gets a lot of national political glory, the actual caucuses involve a lot of hurry up and wait. First, each participant must be counted, then everyone divides up based on the political candidate they supported, or they declare themselves undecided.

ML: Cue my ambiguous account of the caucus, straight outta precinct 45. Going into the event undecided was exhilarating, but it wasn’t long before I was forced to make a decision. Even before I registered, a woman from C-SPAN asked me who I thought I’d be caucusing for. I blurted out Hillary, surprising myself with how confidently it came out. But I still decided to stick with the undecided group before the first realignment period urged me to pick a side. I wanted to hear from other Iowans about why they supported each contender, and more importantly, why I should too. The room was split down the middle with young, rowdy Sanders voters on my right, chanting “Feel the Bern” and “I believe that we will win” like they were at a homecoming game. To my left, there was a more laid-back troupe, ready for Hillary. They were definitely an older group. Oh, and a few stray O’Malley advocates were there too.

LS: We chatted with Thalia Anguiano, a 21-year-old caucus-goer for Martin O’Malley who said she liked the former Governor’s authenticity as well as his consistent voting record. “He's passed and invoked remarkable comprehensive immigration reform and has decreased crime in Baltimore under his leadership,” Thalia said. “With or without the [delegates], this man will continue to make a difference in our nation which is very reassuring as a young voter.”

ML: Across Iowa, many O’Malley supporters were forced to go to their second choice, putting them in the same boat as me. After being swarmed by young, passionate Sanders supporters, I was almost coaxed over to the Bern unit. But after trying one of their stickers on for size, I knew that my heart belonged to Clinton. I crossed back over to stand and raise my hand proudly for her. One volunteer who spoke at the beginning of the rally put it best when she said that picking a candidate was “choosing judgement or experience.” In this case, I wanted both, and I found that in Clinton.

As the night came to a close, Iowa had already upheld its reputation for being a champion of political upsets. For guiding America in swift decision-making, and, ultimately, change. Of course, Iowa is only the beginning. While we took the first step, it’s up to the rest of America to get out and vote and elect our next president.

February 1, 2016; 10:57 p.m. - Iowa Caucus Results

Iowa is known for two things — corn and caucuses. Today, however, it'll also be known for stopping Donald Trump's seemingly unflappable election bid for the 2016 White House. Even though the real estate mogul and former reality star polled in first place since he entered the race this summer, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas bested him in the Iowa caucus tonight with 27.7% to Trump's 24.3%. Marco Rubio came in a close third with 23.1% of the vote, and was very pleased with the result. In his concession speech, he promised his supporters that he would win the nomination and called tonight the "first, but important step" in his journey to the White House. Mike Huckabee, the former Governor of Arkansas, suspended his campaign.

On the Democratic side, the vote is still too close to officially call, but Hillary Clinton leads narrowly with 49.8% of the vote to Bernie Sanders's 49.6%, reportsThe New York Times. Martin O'Malley, who trailed the two leading candidates throughout the election, failed to gain any percentage of the vote and decided to suspend his campaign as its hopes were throughly dimmed tonight.